On Tuesday, President Donald Trump commenced his four-day tour of the Middle East by meeting with Saudi Arabia’s acting leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to discuss a range of topics, including American initiatives aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities, resolving the conflict in Gaza, and stabilizing oil prices.

Prince Mohammed extended a cordial welcome to Trump upon his arrival from Air Force One, marking the commencement of his Middle East tour.

Following this, the two leaders withdrew to a large hall at Riyadh airport, where Trump and his entourage were served customary Arabic coffee by attendants in ceremonial attire, complete with traditional gun-belts.

The elaborate ceremony commenced prior to Trump's arrival, with Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s offering an honorary escort to Air Force One as it neared the kingdom's capital.

Donald Trump and Prince Mohammed were slated to attend a luncheon at the Royal Court, with several prominent business leaders, such as Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, among the invited guests.

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Following this, the crown prince will host a formal dinner in Trump's honour. Trump is also scheduled to participate in a U.S.-Saudi investment conference on Tuesday.

"When Saudis and Americans collaborate, the outcomes are invariably positive, frequently culminating in remarkable achievements," asserted Saudi Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih.

Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ countries have increased how much oil they produce. This has helped them gain an advantage with Trump early in his possible second term as president.

Nonetheless, Saudi Arabia's economy is still largely reliant on petroleum, and the kingdom requires an oil price between $96 and $98 per barrel to achieve budgetary equilibrium. It is uncertain how long OPEC+, led by Saudi Arabia, will continue to maintain high production levels. The price of Brent crude concluded Monday at $64.77 a barrel.

According to Jon Alterman, a seasoned Middle East analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, a significant hurdle for the Gulf states posed by lower oil prices is not that it inherently jeopardises economic diversification schemes, but rather that it unquestionably complicates their implementation.

Trump selected the kingdom as his initial destination due to its commitment to substantial investments in the U.S.; however, he ultimately travelled to Italy last month for Pope Francis's funeral, with Riyadh representing the first foreign visit of his inaugural term.

The president is visiting three countries: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. In all these places, the Trump Organization, which is managed by his two older sons, is working on big real estate projects. These projects include a tall building in Jeddah, a fancy hotel in Dubai, and a golf course and houses in Qatar.

Trump is trying to show that his way of dealing with international politics, which is based on making deals, is working. He is facing criticism from Democrats who say his trade war and his approach to Russia's war in Ukraine are making the United States isolated from its friends.

He is expected to announce agreements with three wealthy countries that will involve artificial intelligence, increasing energy cooperation, and possibly new arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Earlier this month, the government gave initial approval to sell $3.5 billion worth of air-to-air missiles for Saudi Arabia's fighter jets.

Nonetheless, Trump's arrival in the Middle East coincided with a period when his principal regional partners, Israel and Saudi Arabia, were notably at variance with his strategy.

Before the trip, Trump said the U.S. was stopping its airstrike campaign in Yemen against the Houthis, which had lasted about two months. He said the rebels, who are supported by Iran, promised to stop attacking ships on an important global trade route.

The administration didn't tell Israel, which the Houthis often attack, about the agreement before Trump announced it publicly. This was another time Trump didn't include the Israelis in his administration's talks with groups they both oppose.

In March, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was only told by the government after they started talking with Hamas about the war in Gaza. He only found out about the ongoing US nuclear talks with Iran when Trump announced them during his visit to the Oval Office last month.

Netanyahu asserted last week, after Trump's announcement of a truce with the Houthis, that Israel would independently defend itself, adding that it would be preferable if others, such as their American allies, were to join them.

According to William Wechsler, a senior director at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs, it is noteworthy that Trump chose to omit Israel from his initial trip to the Middle East.

Wechsler stated that the prevailing sentiment, based on the current schedule, indicates that the Gulf governments hold a stronger alliance with President Trump than the present Israeli government.

Meanwhile, Trump seeks to revive his previous initiative aimed at establishing diplomatic ties between the Middle East's foremost powers, Israel and Saudi Arabia; his previous Abraham Accords notably resulted in Sudan, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco consenting to normalize relations with Israel.

However, Riyadh has explicitly stated that in return for normalization, it seeks robust security assurances from the U.S., aid for its nuclear initiative, and tangible advancement towards a Palestinian state. Given the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and Israeli declarations of their intent to dismantle and control Gaza, prospects for achieving significant progress on a Palestinian state appear minimal.

Last week, Prince Mohammed welcomed Palestinian Vice President Hussein Sheikh to Jeddah, marking the sheikh's initial international trip since taking office in April.

According to Hussain Abdul-Hussain, who works at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the crown prince seemed to be quietly telling Trump that Saudi Arabia needs to see real progress on creating a Palestinian state before they can seriously start working on a peace deal with Israel.

Given how the Saudis show their plans, that's a way of saying beforehand, 'Don't even think about asking us to show any kindness towards making things normal,'” Abdul-Hussain explained.